Homecoming
by QueenCate
Summary: After getting beaten up by Weevil and his gang, Logan leaves Neptune and ends up in Stars Hollow. Crossover with Gilmore Girls
1. The fun just keeps a comin'

Logan was slumped in his chair, chin resting on the hand that wasn't holding the nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels. He watched as people slowly walked past the large window, absentmindedly noting how different this place was from Neptune. Everything seemed less rushed and far less secretive. In Neptune, you could practically feel the secrets running through the tension charged air. Here, everyone was so open and cheerful. It was quieter, too. Or at least it had been until those two women had come in. The older one wouldn't shut up. She had breezed in and demanded cup after cup of coffee. At one point, the guy behind the counter refused to give her anymore. That only caused the woman to get even louder. Logan tried to block her out, but that meant thinking, something Logan had been avoiding since he arrived in town.

He had left Neptune as soon as Weevil and his biker buddies finished their beating on the bridge. Not even stopping home for clothes, he'd just blown out of there, not quite sure where he was heading, and this was where he ended up. Since then, he had heard the news about his father and run his cell phone over with his X-Terra. The damn thing wouldn't stop ringing. Now he spent his days in this place, dealing with that damn woman's voice.

"Oy with the poodles already!" the woman yelled before she and the girl Logan figured was her daughter cracked up. The man - Duke or something dumb like that – just shook his head and ignored her. After a minute, her daughter said something inaudible and left, bidding Duke or whatever his name is goodbye. Her mother just kept talking animatedly and every word gnawed on his alcohol-affected nerves.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Logan muttered. "Just give her the coffee and maybe she'll shut the hell up!" he said loudly. Glancing over at the woman, he felt a twisted pleasure in seeing her mouth hanging open, speechless.

Duke opened his mouth to tell him off but was interrupted by the roar of several motorcycles zooming by. Everyone in the small diner stared as the group as they pulled to a stop in the center of town. Everyone except Logan, that is.

"And the fun just keeps a comin'," Logan muttered, pressing a button on his watch before downing the rest of the Jack Daniels and pulling another bottle from a small brown paper bag.

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Veronica hopped off the back of Weevil's motorcycle and whipped the helmet off, allowing the soft breeze to blow through her matted hair. She surveyed her surroundings slowly. She was here for one thing and one thing only: Logan. After a few weeks, she had tracked him to the sleepy little town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. A few well-placed smiles and head tilt later, Weevil agreed to take her there, but on the condition that his boys got to come along. He had a thing about small towns.

A pompous-looking man with graying hair was rushing up to the group and Veronica watched with amusement as he took in the group with barely concealed distaste and fear.

"My name is Taylor Doose. Can I help you?" the man asked. He directed his question to Veronica, probably because she looked the least threatening. The guy obviously wanted to be rid of them as soon as possible.

She smiled sweetly. "Maybe. We're looking for someone. He only got here a few days ago."

Taylor answered here immediately. "I think I know the person you're talking about."

"But I haven't even given you his description yet," Veronica pointed out incredulously.

With a patronizing look, Taylor explained, "We don't get many new people here. It's not like…"

"California," Veronica supplied, enjoying the bug eyed look on Taylor's face when he heard how far they had come.

He added, "Besides, this young man has certainly made his presence known. He's quite rude, actually. And he has an affinity for alcohol. Does that sound like the person you're looking for?"

"That's the one," Veronica sang out wryly.

"Yes, well, I'm not quite sure why you would _want_ to find him," Taylor started.

Weevil broke in impatiently. "Yeah, I'm not so sure why she does, either, but here we are so if you'd point the way?"

Taylor looked taken aback, but he pointed toward a nearby building. "He usually spends the day in there."

"Thanks," Veronica said. She indicated towards Weevil. "You come with me. Tell your boys to watch the diner and to be ready when he tries to run off." Then she set off towards the diner, Weevil close behind. His bikers followed her directions because in all honesty, she kind of scared them. A speechless Taylor stared after them before scurrying back to his market to spread the word about these new visitors.

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Luke stormed over to that bratty kid. He had been seated at the table near the window for almost three days now and he had put up with it. The guy obviously had some issues, so Luke had let him stay. Now he had insulted Lorelai and the Mr. Sorta-Nice Guy was gone.

"Listen, kid," he said loudly. "I don't know who you are or why you're sittin' in my diner, but you don't get to insult Lorelai like that. You understand?"

The kid gave him a challenging look, daring him to do something.

"Get out," Luke ordered.

"You know what? I'm fine right here, but thanks for the offer."

Luke was about ready to punch the jerk when the bell on the door rang loudly. He did a double take when he saw a bald teenager walk in with a cute little blonde. The guy strode purposefully towards the punk in front of him while the blonde stayed back. Luke noticed for the first time that the kid had a huge fading bruise under his left eye. What the hell was going on here?

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Logan saw Weevil enter the diner out of the corner of his eye, but refused to look up. A moment later, a shadow fell across the table and Logan pressed the button on his watch again. "Hey there, Paco." He glanced up at Weevil for a second before turning back to his bottle and chugging it. Just as the last mouthful was about to pour out, Weevil grabbed him by the shirt. The alcohol spilled all down Logan's front.

"C'mon, white boy," Weevil said.

"What the hell is your problem, man?" Logan screamed, pushing Weevil away.

"Logan, for once in your life, don't be stupid," a female voice called from over by the door.

Logan looked over at Veronica and did an exaggerated double take. "Ronnie! Great to see ya! It took you a whole ten minutes to find out where I was. Losing your touch, I see. So, you here to brag?"

"No," Veronica told him, coming closer. "We're here to bring your sorry ass home."

"Sorry you wasted your time, but I'm not going back," Logan informed them.

Weevil tightened his grip on Logan's shirt. He would love nothing more than to pound the jerk into a pulp, but Veronica wanted him back in Neptune so he was going to try to keep himself in check, 'try' being the operative word.

Veronica stepped forward and put a restraining hand on Weevil's arm. "I got this," she told him and he loosened his grip.

Logan's eyes darted from Veronica to Weevil and back to Veronica. "Aww," he said, voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Are you two dating?" Then he added in a very different tone, one sharper than a double edged sword, "No wonder people couldn't figure out that you and Lilly weren't sisters. You're so alike. Sluts, the both of you."

Veronica reeled back like she had been slapped. Everyone inside and outside of the diner was watching with undisguised curiosity.

At Logan's comment, Weevil told himself, 'Screw it,' and stopped trying not to beat the crap out of Logan. He launched himself at Logan, fists flying. Logan was caught off guard and he toppled backwards. The two crashed through Luke's window.

"Stop!" Veronica yelled.

Weevil heard her, but ignored her call.

"Weevil," she said warningly.

Reluctantly, he landed one last punch in Logan's gut and pulled himself off Logan.

"Hey, you have to pay for that window!" Luke yelled, fuming with anger.

The three Neptune teens ignored him. Logan hauled himself to his feet. "Thanks, V."

Veronica was staring at him with contempt. Her lip curled as she told him, "I didn't do it for you. I did it for me, so I could do this." Before Logan had time to process what she had said, Veronica lifted her fist in the air and punched Logan square in the mouth. "Once a jackass, always a jackass." She turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving an incredulous Logan staring after her, as well as the shocked people of Stars Hollow.

"Who's gonna pay for my window?" Luke yelled.

Logan threw a few hundred dollar bills at him and walked off, shaking his head and rubbing his jaw. "Ow," he muttered.


	2. Stumbly

"Yo, V!" Veronica heard him calling her and picked up speed. "Veronica, wait!" She whirled around and looked at Weevil expectantly. "Are you okay?" he asked. His concern touched her, but she refused to let it show. She was pissed at him.

"Just peachy," she told him sarcastically.

"Look," Weevil began, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't let that jerk say that about you…and about Lilly."

Veronica just shook her head and walked away. She lost herself in her thoughts, her only escape. As much as Logan's comment had stung, she knew there was some truth there. Lilly, as much as Veronica loved her, had been a bit of a slut. And even Veronica herself noted the many similarities between her new self and Lilly. They were both expert liars, they knew how to play people to get what they wanted, both had more than their fair share of secrets, and both had a soft spot for a certain jackass—

Veronica's thoughts were interrupted suddenly and she had to admit she was glad. Thinking about Logan was the very last thing she wanted at the moment. She looked up and saw that she had run into a girl. She looked a few years older, with shoulder-length brown hair and an innocent face.

"Oh, sorry," Veronica apologized, picking up a book the girl had dropped.

The girl smiled sweetly. "Oh, it was my fault. I was reading and didn't see you." She held up the thick book Veronica had handed her as proof. "You're that new girl, right?"

Eyes rolling, Veronica acknowledged that she was. "And I thought news traveled fast back home!"

"Yeah, I always said the Army should use Stars Hollow people for messengers," the girl joked. "I'm Rory," she added, holding out her hand.

"Veronica." They shook hands and smiled.

As they walked down the cracked sidewalk, Rory asked, "So where are you staying?"

"Uh," Veronica paused. "Not sure yet. My friends and I just got here. Guess I should have booked ahead, huh?"

Rory smiled again. "Nah, it's okay. My mom owns an inn, actually. The Dragonfly. Maybe you and your friends could stay there?" Rory liked this new girl. Veronica was sweet and seemed nice enough and Rory wanted to help her out. A motorcycle slowed as it passed them and the rider mock saluted Veronica and made a rude gesture.

"Friend of yours?" Rory asked sarcastically.

"Keep it up, Felix!" Veronica yelled. "Remember the Camelot?"

Rory could almost see the biker – Felix – paling behind his helmet before speeding away. 'Okay, maybe she wasn't so sweet,' Rory thought, but she still wanted to help her out. "C'mon," she told Veronica, linking her own arm through Veronica's. "Let's go see a lady about a room."

Rory led Veronica back the way she had come and the further they walked, the deeper the sinking feeling in her stomach grew. They were headed to that diner, she realized grimly. 'Why does Lady Luck hate me?' she asked herself. She allowed Rory to lead her through the door, resigned to the suckiness that her time here would be.

"Wonder what happened to the window?" Rory asked aloud, voice filled with curiosity.

The diner had emptied considerably in the last few minutes and only two people were left inside. Luke looked up as they entered and his face darkened. "You, what are you doing back here?"

Rory stared at Veronica. "You two know each other?"

Lorelai walked over her daughter and pointed towards the broken window. "Her friends had a little argument." She turned to Veronica and added, "Nice right hook, by the way."

"Thanks," Veronica replied meekly. She turned to Luke. "Look, I'm really sorry about my…friends. And about your window. I'd offer to pay, but if I had any money, I wouldn't have ridden all the way from California on the back of a motorcycle."

Luke stared at the girl in front of him for a moment.

"Luke," the dark haired woman warned. "The girl apologized and it's not like she did anything."

Luke just shook his head and started cleaning off tables.

"Coffee?" the woman asked. "I'm Lorelai, by the way. Rory's mom"

"I'm Veronica, and yes, please."

Lorelai turned to her daughter and said, "I like this girl!" before walking behind the counter and pouring Veronica some coffee. Just as she put the coffee pot down, Luke looked up and yelled, "Get out from behind the counter!"

"All right!" Lorelai called back, throwing up her hands in mock surrender and sitting on the stool next to Veronica.

"Mom, Veronica needs a place to stay tonight."

Lorelai smiled at Veronica. "You can stay at the Dragonfly, sweetie. We had a few cancellations."

"Can my friends stay there, too?"

Lorelai's eyes showed her doubt and Veronica hastily added, "Not the drunk one. And I swear, Weevil's fine when Logan's not around."

After a moment consideration, Lorelai nodded her consent. "Okay, but your keep your friends in check." Then she laughed at the confused look on Rory's face and added, "Not your Logan."

"Will do," Veronica promised as Luke reappeared behind the counter.

That resolved, Lorelai turned to Rory and asked, "You get the mail, babe?"

"Yep." Rory pulled a stack of envelopes and a magazine out of her bag.

Tossing the various bills aside after declaring them "evil", Lorelai concentrated on the magazine. "Ooh, my new People magazine!"

For some reason, the mention of that magazine caused dread to pull at the pit of Veronica's stomach. She racked her brain to figure out why and just as she hit upon the answer, Lorelai clucked her tongue in disgust and sorrow.

"It's a shame," she said to no one in particular.

"What is it?" Luke asked, looking up from whatever he was doing behind the counter.

"There's a feature on the Lilly Kane murder in here," Lorelai told him.

Luke looked thoughtful for a minute. "Wait, you mean that girl that was killed in California two years ago? Didn't they already catch the guy that did it?"

Lorelai and Rory and stared at Luke. "Do you not own a television?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

Veronica looked around for an escape route.

"Enlighten me," Luke told her, crossing his arms.

"The guy that confessed didn't do it. It was Aaron Echolls, the movie star," Rory explained. Lorelai was too busy shaking her head at Luke.

Luke looked confused. "The one that makes all those crappy movies? He killed her?"

"Yep," Lorelai told him, flipping to the feature inside the magazine.

The name Echolls rang another bell in Luke's head. He thought for a moment and remembered why. That punk that had broken his window. Every time Luke told him the tables were for customers, the kid had held up a credit card for Luke to scan and ordered a plate of fries or something similar that always went uneaten. The name on the card was…Logan Echolls.

Luke shot Veronica a look and she knew he had figured it out. She pleaded with him with her eyes and he seemed to understand.

Lorelai was reading out loud now. "It says that Lilly Kane's best friend solved the case and," she turned the page, "almost got herself killed…" Her voice trailed off and Veronica figured that Lorelai had seen her name – and Logan's – and it had started her brain working. And in case that wasn't enough, when Lorelai laid the magazine on the counter, Veronica saw that she had turned to a two page photo spread of Lilly with her family and friends. There was Lilly in her pep squad uniform, Lilly and Duncan at their Sweet Sixteen, and the million dollar picture…Lilly with Duncan, Logan, and herself on Homecoming night, all of them laughing, unaware of the horrors that would befall them in a few weeks' time.

Lorelai and Rory's eyes landed on that familiar, heart tugging picture at the same time as Veronica's and when the three looked up, their eyes met. For the first time, they noticed the pain that was permanently etched into her beautiful blue eyes. Lorelai was the first to speak. "Oh, honey," she said comfortingly.

Try as she might, when Veronica saw the sorrow in Lorelai's warm blue eyes, she succumbed to the tears that had been threatening to fall for days, the ones she only let come at night. Veronica collapsed into Lorelai's arms and they sat like that for a few minutes, Lorelai rocking Veronica, Rory patting her back and Luke standing there awkwardly.

--x--

Stumbling along the well worn path, Logan cursed it, wondering why it was so…stumbly. He giggled a little at his new word but smiling cause his dark, new bruise to throb again, so he stopped and sank back into his depressed stupor. Rubbing the bruise gently, Logan realized just how screwed up he really was. Lifting his new bottle of whiskey to his lips, he drank thirstily, hoping to drown everything that was wrong in his life. Tossing aside the now empty bottle, Logan stared at his feet. Mission accomplished. His mind was blank once again. He resumed walking down the path, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. A single word floating across his mind. Stumbly. A giggle escaped his lips as he continued his deliberate walk. Away from Veronica and the circus that was his life. The way he figured it, he would reach the woods in a few days if he kept this pace.

"Should've bought more drinks," he muttered, slowly placing his left foot in front of his right.

Behind him, Logan heard the motorcycles pull up, but he ignored them. 'One foot in front of the other he told himself,' he told himself, tongue poking out of the corner if his mouth as he concentrated. Because he was ignoring the bikers, he didn't hear the one that was sneaking up on him until it was too late. The guy threw Logan over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Logan protested, still laughing. "I was walking!"

"And now you're not," the biker informed him in a voice that was trying to be rough, but didn't quite succeed.

--x--

Veronica sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said to no one in particular. She had felt worse since catching Aaron than she had since Lilly had died. Now that she no longer had vengeance to concentrate on, Veronica had no choice but to deal with the grief.

"Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing," Lorelai comforted her.

Veronica smiled weakly and opened her mouth to thank Lorelai but her words were lost as a fleet of motorcycles pulled in front of the diner. Weevil hopped off of his and sprinted into the diner.

"V, we gotta go. Couple of my boys were out by the edge of town and they saw some news vans headed this way.

Veronica swore under her breath. "They found us. Did you get Logan yet?" she asked hurriedly.

"Nah, we came straight for you," Weevil told her. "I don't really care too much about that spoiled rich boy."

Veronica stood up, livid. "Weevil, you know as well as I do that if those news vans get to him first, in the condition he's in, they'll have a field day."

"So then it's a good thing he's tripping over himself in the park across the street and laughing at God knows what."

Veronica glanced out the window and saw Felix throw a giggling Logan over his shoulder and smiled gratefully. "I knew I kept you around for something. Now lets g—" She was cut off by the arrival of a swarm of news vans.

Weevil pulled Veronica out the door and onto the back of his motorcycle, hoping they could make an escape.

"Miss Mars, why did you keep investigating Lilly's murder?"

"Logan, did you suspect something was going on?"

"Veronica, is there any truth to the rumors that you are Jake Kane's daughter?"

"Are you and Veronica still together, Logan?"

A truck sped down the road and came to a stop just outside the circle of reporters. Lorelai's head appeared above the crowd, calling Veronica's name. Veronica nodded to Weevil and raced into the back of the truck. Weevil tossed a still giggling Logan in after her and the truck took off, leading them away from the swarm of reporters now scurrying back to their vans to pursue.

Veronica looked down at Logan and saw that he was giggling.

"What's so funny?" she asked wearily.

Staring at the sky, Logan uttered a single, nonsensical word, "stumbly," before collapsing back into a fit of giggles.

"Sometimes I really hate my life," Veronica mumbled, leaning back against the truck.


	3. Smart but drunk

I just wanna thank everyone who reviewed this story. It really means a lot to me. This is the second to last chapter, so I hope you all like it!

--x--

Lorelai was watching Veronica through the window. She felt such pity for the girl but couldn't help marveling at her strength. After all Veronica had been through – and Lorelai suspected she didn't know the half of it –she wouldn't have been surprised if Veronica wallowed in self-pity, but she didn't. She kept going. And Lorelai respected that more than anything.

Even as she watched, Veronica was cheerfully fielding a call from what Lorelai assumed was her family.

"Dad, is Wallace there?" she was asking. After a pause, she said, "Hey, brother...No, I don't mean literally…oh, ha-ha…God, I hope not…If your eyes burn, use the Visine by my table…I gotta go, Wallace. Talk to you soon." Veronica looked up and met Lorelai's eyes. She offered a weak smile and put her phone away.

Returning her gaze to the road, Lorelai saw they were rapidly nearing her house.

Luke jerked the wheel of his truck and pulled into the driveway of the Gilmore house.

"Home sweet home," Lorelai sang out as she jumped from the truck, followed closely by Rory who had been squished between her and Luke. They grabbed Veronica's hands and led her into the house, leaving Luke to deal with Logan, who had passed out somewhere along the way.

"Got any coffee?" Veronica asked hopefully.

The Gilmores smiled. "But of course," Lorelai assured her, heading into the kitchen.

"C'mon," Rory said to Veronica, following Lorelai. Veronica lagged behind for a moment, watching as Luke dropped Logan on the couch. Assured that he was safe, she turned and entered the kitchen.

"Ooh, I smell coffee!" Veronica exclaimed, taking the cup Rory offered her.

Rory followed Veronica's gaze and saw her watching as Lorelai piled an assortment cookies, chips, and leftover Chinese food onto a large tray. "All the fixings," Rory declared.

Veronica smiled brightly for the first time since Rory had met her. "Looks delicious!"

Lorelai returned the smile and said to Rory, "Told you I liked her!"

Luke walked into the kitchen, took one look at the tray and rolled his eyes. "Aw, jeez. You trying to corrupt her?"

Lorelai smiled mischievously. "Maybe," she said mysteriously before shoving a cookie into her mouth.

"You're disgusting, you know that right?" Luke asked, shaking his head.

"And you love me anyway," Lorelai cooed.

--x--

Logan's eyes fluttered open and he bit his lip to keep from asking where he was. He could hear Veronica talking to the others. He wasn't ready to face her. His eyes roamed the room for an escape route and settled on the slightly ajar door. The reporters were out there, Logan knew, but he was practiced at eluding them. He slipped out through the crack and silently tiptoed around to the back, using the darkness as cover and praying he didn't trip in his drunken state. Luckily, there was no one in the back yet. Logan ran for a well-worn path in the woods, not quite sure where he was going and not really caring.

--x--

Lorelai, Rory and Luke were trying their hardest to make Veronica forget, at least temporarily, everything that was going on. It helped a little, but Veronica could only resist the urge to check on Logan for so long. She excused herself and quietly entered the living room. It only took a second for her to realize that lump under the covers wasn't Logan. He was smart, but drunk. There was a single pillow under the blanket, much too small to be Logan.

--x--

Veronica tiptoed around back, realizing this was the path Logan had most likely taken, and sprinted down the trail. She came upon him shortly. He was lying in a park, staring at the sky. When he heard her approach, Logan slowly climbed to his feet.

"Veronica!" Logan slurred. "Now we can party like it's 1999!"

Veronica gave him a sour smile. "Why? Do you have more GHB?"

Logan's smirk faded. "I told you I was sorry! I didn't even have to tell you I drugged Duncan, but I did! I never meant for you to get hurt."

A short, humorless laugh escaped Veronica's lips. "You never meant to hurt me? You've done nothing but hurt me since Lilly died!"

Shame flushed across his handsome face as Logan hung his head. "I know…and I'm –"

"Hey, Logan!" a voice called out. Logan turned towards it and a bright flash went off, temporarily blinding him. He took a step backwards, trying to regain his balance and stepped right into the gazebo, banging his head with a resounding _crack_. Logan slumped to the ground, unconscious.

--x--

Veronica grunted in exhaustion as she tried to drag Logan away from the photographers. After a few unsuccessful attempts, laid him down and pulled her cell phone from her pocket, intending to call Weevil. A message flashed on the screen: 'Low Battery.' She groaned. "That's what I get for losing my charger," she muttered, renewing her efforts to drag Logan back to the house.

--x--

Logan spun around, wondering where the hell he was and why. A flash of yellow danced past him and he remembered. Lilly. There she was, spinning around in front of him.

"Lilly?"

She let loose one of her teasing smiles. "C'mon, now. I know you haven't forgotten me already! I'm the fabulous Lilly Kane!"

Logan shook his head furiously. He hadn't forgotten anything. Every facial expression and hand gesture, every curve of her body, was embedded in his memory. He could never forget.

"Why?" he asked, voice raspy with unshed tears.

"Logan," she said softly. "You didn't love me. You just thought you did. It's Veronica you really love."

He nodded, knowing she was right. "I'm sorry."

Lilly laughed and it tugged at his heart. God, how he missed that laugh. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything. You and Veronica are actually a pretty cute couple." Then her expression turned serious. "Just…just promise you won't forget me, Logan."

"Never," Logan whispered fiercely and then she gone. He looked left and right, searching for her. "Lilly?" he called. A soft female voice answered, calling his name. "Lilly!" he yelled again. His eyes flew open. He was back in the Gilmore house. Through the window, he could see Veronica sitting on the swing out front.

"Hey," Veronica whispered as he approached.

"Hi," he replied, groaning at the throbbing pain in his head.

Veronica laughed and Logan felt that tugging at his heartstrings again. Only this time, it made him happy. "You big baby," Veronica teased.

"How did I get here?" he asked, sitting next to her. Surprisingly, she didn't move away and Logan took this as a good sign.

"Luke found us and carried you back here," Veronica explained.

Their eyes locked and they both smiled weakly, unsure of what to say.

A camera flash brought them back to reality. "There's the cover for next issue of _Star_ or _Us Weekly_," Veronica commented dryly.

Logan laughed and struggled to his feet. "Veronica," he started, "I really am sorry. For everything."

Veronica held his gaze and nodded. She could hear the sorrow in his tone and see the sincerity in his eyes. Her gaze lowered to his neck. When she saw his shell necklace, Veronica began fingering her own black choker. "Remember when we gave each other these?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Logan whispered back. "Seventh grade. Lilly and Duncan invited us to the fair. Lilly convinced Duncan to stand up with her on the Ferris wheel and their parents were ragging on them."

Veronica picked up the tale. "Celeste gave us ten dollars each and told us to go play a game until they were done. You bet me I couldn't beat you at ring tossing. You won but the attendant gave me the shell necklace because he felt sorry for me."

Logan laughed. "Then we traded because you told me the choker was a girl's necklace and that people would make fun of me."

Veronica joined in laughing. "Duncan made fun of you anyway, just for wearing a necklace."

"Until I pantsed him," Logan pointed out indignantly. "A move that forever endeared me to dear Celeste." They both started laughing again.

When their laughter died, a calming silence settled around them. "Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go home," Veronica said, offering her hand.

Logan stared at her for a moment before taking it. "Let's go home," he repeated. "We've got an execution to attend," he added.

"Whatever will I wear?" Veronica asked as they slowly walked back into house.


	4. We're off to see the Wizard!

As they walked through the door, the couple intertwined their fingers and entered the living room where they could hear Luke, Lorelai, and Rory. Veronica laid her head on Logan's shoulder as they approached, causing Lorelai and Rory to swoon. Luke's eyes remained on the screen as he tried to seem indifferent, but a small smile could be seen playing across his lips. Lorelai noticed and called him on it. "Luke! You big softie!"

Rory laughed as Luke buried his head in his hands. "No more coffee for you!" he threatened. Everyone in the room knew that it was an empty threat but Lorelai decided to play along and pushed her bottom lip out into a pout. "Fine, but when I die from coffee withdrawal, you'll feel pretty bad."

A silence fell over the room. Not one for silence, Lorelai broke it by asking, "So, Veronica, Logan, where you planning on going to college?"

"Stanford, if I hit the jackpot," Veronica answered.

All eyes turned to Logan who shrugged. "I always liked the idea of taking a year off, you know, seeing another country. But my fath – my family has always wanted me to go to an Ivy League, like Yale."

Identical dark looks flashed across Lorelai, Rory, and Luke's faces at the mention of Yale, similar to those that had crossed Veronica and Logan's when he had almost mentioned his father. "Yale, huh?" Lorelai asked. "Good school," she added, shooting Rory a look. Rory averted her gaze and stood up, abruptly excusing herself, claiming she was tired. Lorelai and Luke quickly followed suit, leaving a confused Veronica and Logan to set up pillows and sheets on the couch and floor.

-x-

Sometime that night – morning, whatever- Veronica rolled off the couch and onto Logan, who barely grunted in response. Rubbing her neck, Veronica wandered into the kitchen in search of something sweet. Lorelai was sitting at the table reading what looked like a newspaper. Veronica said, "Hey, Lorelai, can I…?" She gestured towards the cabinets. When Lorelai nodded her permission Veronica started to walk towards the cabinet but backpedaled when she saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. "Lorelai?" she asked tentatively. Lorelai sniffed, swiped at her eyes and tried to smile. Veronica sat down next to her and waited silently until Lorelai was ready to talk.

After a long minute, Lorelai smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. It's just…I found a copy of one of Rory's high school newspapers."

"Okay," Veronica said slowly, unsure of why that would cause Lorelai to react like this.

"She worked so hard to get where she was," Lorelai continued. "I mean, she studied her ass off all through high school and she got into Yale, dammit, Yale!"

Veronica nodded. "You can't get much better than that."

"No, you can't," Lorelai agreed, shaking her head for emphasis. "She was a journalism major, you know. Until Mitchum Huntzberger struck."

"Mitchum Huntzberger? What a name. He must hate his parents," Veronica remarked, eliciting a small smile from Lorelai. "What did he do to Rory?"

"He told her she didn't have what it takes to be a journalist. As if he can just tell those kinds of things after a few weeks. And the part that kills me is she believed him. She wanted it more than anything but she just let him shatter her dreams. My baby actually gave up, quit Yale. We only started talking again when she found out Luke and I got engaged. And even now our relationship is shaky at best." Lorelai's sobs started anew and Veronica reached up to stroke her hair. "I just…I remember when she was in high school and she would come home from newspaper meetings all excited about her new story. I think if she could just get excited about a story again, then maybe she would remember how much she loves writing."

Veronica thought for a second before her face lit up with excitement. "I think I might be able to help you there."

Lorelai lifted her head off Veronica shoulder and when Veronica saw the look of hope and trust on the woman's face, she began praying her plan worked.

-x-

Rory groggily swiped at her sleep blurred eyes and rolled over to glance at her clock. She groaned when she saw that it was only 4:00 in the morning. She buried her head under her pillow but it was too late. Her mind had kicked in and she knew it would be a while before she managed to fall asleep again. Rolling out of bed – literally – she stumbled into the kitchen and was startled to see Veronica seated at the table, engrossed in what looked like a copy of the Yale Daily News. "Veronica?" she asked, confused.

Veronica's head whipped up. "Oh, hey Rory. I was just reading this paper of yours. It's pretty good."

"Thanks," Rory said softly, avoiding Veronica's gaze.

"Actually," Veronica began slowly. "I was wondering if your paper does interviews."

Nodding, Rory told her, "Yeah, sometimes."

"Would they be interested in interviewing me?"

Rory was taken aback. She knew that Veronica had staunchly refused to answer any questions for the press or paparazzi. Why was she volunteering for this? "Yeah, actually, I think they would." She felt her stomach leap and for a moment thought she was going to be sick but then she realized it wasn't nausea she was feeling. It was excitement. But that feeling turned to disappointment when Veronica asked, "Would you mind giving me the number of a good reporter there?"

She wanted this story in the worst way. It surprised her how much she wanted it, how much she was aching to start asking questions but she held herself back. Biting her lip, she nodded and ducked into her room for a moment after murmuring something about getting Paris's number. In her room, she paced back and forth, trying to decide what to do. Reporting wasn't for her, Mitchum Huntzberger had made that extremely clear, but Rory couldn't deny that she wanted to write this story. Maybe just this once, she could give in, write one last story. Doyle would probably print it for her, even if she wasn't a Yale student anymore. And if he wouldn't, she would get Paris to make him. Nodding resolutely, Rory made her decision. When she finally emerged from her room, she was empty handed. "You know," she started. "I had an idea. Maybe I should just do the interview. I mean, we know each other so you know I won't ask you anything too hard if I can avoid it and I'm already here."

Veronica readily agreed. "Sure."

Rory smiled excitedly. "So when would you like to get started?"

"Does now work for you?"

"Yep, now's perfect." Rory grinned and ran back into her room for her tape recorder, pad, and pencil. Dashing back into the room, she switched on her tape recorder and began the interview. "So, Veronica, up until now, you've refused to answer a single question from the press. Why now?"

"No time like the present." Veronica let out a nervous laugh and continued, "Honestly, it really makes me angry that no remembers Lilly. I know what you're thinking, everybody remembers her. But you're wrong. They don't remember the real Lilly, only the Lilly that the media tells them about. Until a few months ago, Lilly was remembered as the little billionaire's daughter, pretty, popular, and all around perfect. And while she was popular and beautiful, that wasn't all there was to her. Now, she's remembered as the clichéd 'poor little rich girl' and a slut. That isn't the only side of her either. She was, to use her own words, fabulous. And she was one of the few people who could get away with saying that about herself."

-x-

Soft voices gradually drew Logan from his thankfully dreamless sleep. His eyes were immediately drawn to the couch that Veronica had been sleeping on. For a moment, as he tried to get his bearings, he was confused, wondering where Veronica was. Then Logan felt a dull pain on his chest and remembered her falling on top of him. Rapidly blinking to clear his sleep blurred eyes, he struggled into a sitting position and concentrated on the soft voices that had woken him. Lilly's name reached his ears and Logan was instantly alert, mind on the dream, vision, whatever it was, from earlier. He knew he hadn't really seen Lilly. Or at least, he told himself he hadn't, for the sake of his delicate sanity. It had, he convinced himself, been his subconscious's way of telling him that he needed to move on, not only for his own sake but for Veronica's as well because he loved her. It had lied to him, though, to make it easier for him to let Lilly go. While he appreciated his mind's effort, Logan knew that he had loved Lilly. Not the same way he loved Veronica, but love all the same. And he would always remember her, but that's all he could do. Lilly was dead and he had finally accepted it completely. Lilly was gone but Veronica was here, now, and he needed to be there for her and help her to gather the pieces of her life as she tried to mend them, just as he knew she would with him. They were a team, the two of them, and Logan wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Lorelai padded down the stairs for a glass of water but stopped short when she heard the familiar voices floating out from the kitchen. Rory and Veronica. Lorelai's heart leaped when she heard Rory's tone of voice. Rory sounded just like she had in high school, when she talked about the paper and her articles. She peeked around the corner and smiled softly. Maybe, just maybe, they could get back to where they used to be. Or at least close to it. Still smiling, Lorelai crept back up the stairs and crawled back into bed next to Luke who stirred as she settled in.

"Lorelai?" he asked groggily. "You all right?"

Lorelai's smile grew to a full fledged grin as she said, "Yeah, I think I am. Finally."

-x-

_One week later_

The reporters had finally cleared out of Stars Hollow, convinced that Logan and Veronica had returned to Neptune, thanks to the two decoys that had flown to California earlier that week. Rory had convinced her friends Stephanie and Logan to leave for the airport from the Gilmore house, disguised as Veronica and the other Logan, before flying out to Neptune. Oddly enough, it had worked and the couple was free to roam the town until the left later that day.

"Veronica!" Logan's impatient voice called to her.

"I told you, I'm coming!" Veronica yelled back, downing the rest of her coffee before following Lorelai out of the kitchen.

Logan rolled his eyes in mock anger as she approached and said with a smirk, "You know, you're even slower than Trina."

Veronica twisted her features in a look of hurt and replied. "No need to insult me!" Then with a mischievous grin she added playfully, "At least I didn't get arrested for having a bong in my locker."

Logan's smirk grew wider. "No, you went for the bigger stuff. Say, you got any more fake IDs?" He asked playfully.

"Snap, fresh out. Lamb and the boys had a blast with that one," Veronica quipped.

The two locked eyes and couldn't bear to hold in their laughter any longer. It felt good to just let loose and really laugh for the first time in a long while. The Gilmores had watched them with confused looks on their faces up until that point but when Veronica and Logan started laughing, they had exchanged looks of their own and joined in.

"We're off to Luke's!" Rory declared, linking arms with her mother and skipping out the door. Veronica and Logan followed suit and as they reached the road, Veronica started singing, "We're off to see the Wizard…" and was quickly joined by the other three.

The foursome were still singing loudly when they reached the town square which caused the pompous man that Veronica had met upon her arrival to come out and reprimand them. Or he tried to, anyway. Lorelai told him that if he didn't let them pass and get to their coffee, she would bring Luke to every single town function from then on. Taylor scurried back into the market and contented himself by shooting Lorelai dirty looks until she walked into Luke's and out of sight.

"Oh, Lukie, Lukie, Luuuke!" Lorelai sang out.

"Lemme guess, coffee?" Luke asked gruffly, filling a large cup and setting it on the counter for her.

Lorelai smiled. "You know me so well!"

All eyes were on the two teens from Neptune. "Why's everyone watching us?" Veronica whispered to Rory.

Rory grinned and told her. "You're new and you're semi-famous. Just be glad Miss Patty and Babette aren't here."

Lorelai leaned in. "Besides, they're probably wondering why you two are all lovey dovey now." She added in a stage whisper, referring to their run-in at the diner as she indicated towards their intertwined hands.

"Speaking of that…" Veronica began slowly, realizing that she hadn't seen a certain someone since then. Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a loud crash and Taylor's angry voice. She shut her eyes and whispered, "Weevil." After a moment, Veronica forced herself to look and saw a laughing Weevil tearing down the road, chased by an irate Taylor. Logan let out a whoop in spite of himself and called, "Go, Paco!" out the door. Weevil gave him the finger and kept on running.

Veronica just shook her head and said, "It's a good thing we're leaving this afternoon. At least in Neptune, people are used to Weevil. Sort of. I have get out of jail cards there, anyway."

"Hey," Luke told her, walking over to their table. "Anyone who can make Taylor that mad is welcome here any time." After a moment's pause he added, "As long as he stays away from my diner."

Logan glanced at his watch. "Ronnie, we gotta get going if we're gonna make our flight in time."

"What's the rush? We have plenty of time."

"But that lady keeps staring at me," Logan complained. The three girls looked over and saw Miss Patty taking a seat at the counter. She was indeed staring at Logan, but that wasn't what caught Veronica's eye. It was her own face on the cover of the magazine Miss Patty was holding. She strode over to the woman and asked in her sweetest voice, "Would you mind if I borrowed that for a few minutes?"

"Oh, no, of course not, sweetie," Miss Patty handed her the magazine and Veronica turned to go but Patty stopped her. "By the way, are you and the handsome young man over there dating?"

"Yes. Why?"

Patty waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, just wondering."

Veronica returned to the table shaking her head. She flipped through the magazine and gasped. "Rory, look!"

Rory grabbed the magazine and let out a squeal of excitement. It was her interview of Veronica. In _People_ magazine! Logan (her Logan) had told her when he found out about the interview that he would pull some strings and try to get it published, but she never dreamed it would be in _People_ magazine! Maybe journalism was for her after all. Her mother interrupted her thoughts with a surprising announcement that only cemented her decision. "Rory, Yale called this morning to ask if you were, in fact, coming back for the fall term." Lorelai's tone was light enough, but Rory knew she was asking if Rory was going to go through with taking a year off.

Rory smiled at her. "I guess I'll call them later and tell them that I am coming back."

Lorelai's eyes lit up and a grin spread across her face as she pulled Rory in a hug.

"Mom. Can't breathe. Dying bad." Rory gasped.

Veronica and Logan smiled at the mother and daughter. "You know, Logan, we should get going. I don't wanna miss our flight because when we get home we have to have a looong talk with Duncan about us."

Logan smiled grimly. "Can't wait."

– The End –

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fic. It really meant a lot to me because this was a huge experiment on my part, trying to capture all those characters at once. I hope this chapter answered any questions you may have. Just a little FYI, I probably won't write another story for a while. School starts Thursday and cheerleading has started up so I'll be pretty busy til around March. Hopefully I get something up before then but I may not. Thanks again to everyone:

Simply Lily

humor my lips

BlondeNancyDrew

moondust0109

vmfan225

tvfan4ever86

Spuffy-Spike-91

Spikerules-22

nina3605

litgal

Michelle

eternalgorithm

heticangel

Flame31

csellers1215

pinkfish

Cora


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